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Blue Jays select RHP Reid-Foley to close out Day 1

The Blue Jays select right-handed pitcher Sean Reid-Foley with the 49th pick of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft

By Gregor Chisholm
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays potentially got themselves a major steal on Day 1 of the First-Year Player Draft by taking right-hander Sean Reid-Foley with the 49th overall pick.

Reid-Foley was ranked the 18th-best prospect in the Draft according to MLB.com, but he fell out of the first round and even dropped until midway through the second at least in part because of signability concerns.

The 18-year-old has a commitment to Florida State University and now the Blue Jays will try convincing him to turn pro. The 49th overall pick comes with a recommended slot value of $1,128,800, but it's very possible Toronto will be able to offer more than that.

The Blue Jays took right-hander Jeff Hoffman with the ninth pick and catcher Max Pentecost with the 11th pick. Both players are college juniors and likely won't have a lot of leverage in their negotiations. If the Blue Jays are able to save some money on either pick -- or selections on Day 2 of the Draft -- they could then turn around and up the offer to Reid-Foley.

Toronto has a bonus pool of $9,458,500 to work from in the first 10 rounds, which ranks fourth overall. Hoffman, who recently underwent Tommy John surgery, has a recommended slot value of $3,080,800 while Pentecost is at $2,888,300. There would appear to be a chance for some flexibility there and that could go a long way in convincing Reid-Foley to sign.

Reid-Foley likely was hurt by the fact that the early stages of this Draft were expected to be stocked with a lot of high school arms. There were 17 pitchers taken in the first round compared to 13 position players and the deeper the Draft goes it becomes more difficult to convince a player to sign instead going to school.

The native of Florida typically throws low-90s velocity and has the ability to top out at 95. A low-80s slider is his best secondary pitch he he also throws a curveball and a sinking changeup. He has above-average command and there's a belief that he would project as a future mid-rotation starter.

Reid-Foley also fits into the prototype of what Toronto typically looks for in its starting pitchers. He's 6-foot-2 and has a lot of athleticism which is the type of model the Blue Jays almost always seem to follow. For the past three years, with the exception of right-hander Marcus Stroman in 2012, all of the pitchers the Blue Jays have taken in the first 10 rounds have been at least 6-foot-1.